Reni Notorious
by AriRunner9523
Summary: Reni Rider is the coolest girl in school, yet she doesn't really feel as if it's her scene. When she meets Darren Saunders, one of the bad eggs called juveniles, her life is turned upside-down and he lands her in juvie. When she returns, no one looks at her the same way, except for her true crowd: her quirky friends and her misunderstood juvenile bandmates. *May experience w block*
1. Prologue

Prologue  
Welcome to Curious, Ohio. A relatively small town where I, Renascent Rider aka Reni, reside. The population is 9,823. Small? I know. If you live in places like Los Angeles or New York City, of course it is. But this suburban maze of a town is my home.  
I moved here when I was in seventh grade, and dominated Curious Middle School with my fire, while my feline doppelganger, Atomic Fireball, dominated the town's cat population. My loyal pet AF and I would laugh (or at least I would laugh) about how easily people are taken over and brainwashed in this town. In no time, the popular clique had accepted me, and molded to my punk rocker image by making their hair all zany and learning to play instruments. Wannabes, definitely, but it was so cute how I became their role model and "queen bee" in less than a month.  
My status had followed me to eighth grade, but things got even better from there. I started going out with guitarist Davie McCall, who, unlike all the posers running around, is actually cool all by himself. Together, the two of us formed a band. We agreed on The Malice Patrol v. Green. Like it? Hate it? Deal with it. Either way, that became our name, and our emblem was a drawing of the Supreme Court on fire. If you didn't get it, The Malice Patrol v. Green is a representation of a court case, which means Davie and I write songs in which we fight about stuff. I'm The Malice Patrol, he's Calvert Green.  
We'd soon rounded up musicians for the punk band. I became lead vocals and lead guitar, Davie became duet vocals and rhythm guitar. I got my prissy/goth best friend Kayley Anne Collins on bass. That was a breeze; she's a slight pushover. You didn't hear it from me. We also convinced the resident rebel—because she's had more detentions than anyone—Jade Van Roux to rock out with us on piano and keyboard. I'll tell you, I think the chick can play any song by ear with her eyes closed on that instrument. Hell, the girl won a state championship with her jazz rendition of "Flight of the Bumblebee".  
I know it's weird, a string section in a punk band, but we did it anyway. Shemiah Doherty, this school's only African American girl due to our incredibly racist principal, agreed to play violin with us. We also got Arnold Adams on cello. He goes by Dusty, because he's the fastest track runner in the state and leaves everyone else in his dust. Finally, rounding out the band with his smooth skills, our drummer extraordinaire Marty Gallos, the school's only African American boy. Principal Baxter had to keep the school board happy, though he detests Shemiah and Marty. You could say having the school's only black students in our punk band is a form of rebellion, and it probably is, but truthfully, I like them. They're just like us except for the color of their skin, and Principal "Bastard" treats them like they're not. I'd stab him if it weren't illegal.  
Anyway, MP v. G went half a year in the Curious spotlight. Why'd we break up? Why'd I lose my fabulous boyfriend and social status? Be patient, my pretties, for I shall tell you why.  
Where to start…  
Where to start…?  
Okay! This is a good place.  
Early September, three weeks prior to the incident that cost me everything.  
Welcome to the life of Reni Rider, soon to be Reni Notorious the Great.


	2. Chapter 1

1  
"Renascent…" Mr. Matthews began sternly. "…you're failing."  
It's a nice day today. The sun is out, not a cloud in the sky,…and best of all I'M FAILING SPANISH. Freaking great day.  
"And?" I asked, caring about it very little.  
"Aren't you the least bit concerned that you're failing Spanish?" he snapped. "Without the credits, you will have to repeat this class! Do you want that, you little ingrate?"  
"Oh, I really do," I said sarcastically.  
He let out a frustrated sigh, then pointed at the door, my cue to leave.  
It was lunch. I went to the bathroom, and washed my hands. I'm a bit of a clean freak. I mean, not a lot of people go to the bathroom and wash their hands before lunch. So yeah. I'm a clean freak. I guess. But not more than my best friend, Kayley Anne. When she comes over to my house she has to clean. I think she has an OCD. I mean, the last time she was over, she washed all the dishes. Yay! I hate the dishes!  
I checked myself in the mirror. Jade green eyes as green as ever, red lipstick just as red. My black eyeliner hadn't smudged…yet. My hair, dyed light blue on the right side and light purple on the left, still maintained its gorgeous volume. It took three hours to get it this voluminous, and if it deflated in half a day, I'd have to go down to the hair salon and bean Jody Valiant, my stylist, on the head with the volumizing mousse she recommended I use. You've been spared this time, Jody Valiant!  
I had on a Fit For Rivals shirt, a rock band nobody in this school had ever heard of but pretended to because they liked being on my side of the world, and a red plaid skirt covering fishnet tights. Rounding off the outfit were my black leather army boots, and my never-leave-home-without-it 1950's vintage leather jacket. I was all about vintage.  
Deciding I was presentable, I traded out my silver nose ring for my red one to match my skirt, then strutted off to the cafeteria.  
My clique was waiting for me at a table in the middle of the room. Before me, the popular clique was just your normal cult of gossiping AeropostaleÔ and HollisterÔ wearing asshole bullies. Since I arrived, they've been bowing down to me, becoming the wannabes they once mocked. They tried to copy my style, but as robots that were once preppy and girly, they have no idea how, and unknowingly fail miserably. It's embarrassing, but I like having people that do whatever the hell I want.  
Sending a brief sneer my way before putting on her fake smile, Alicia Adams called me over to the table.  
"Reni!" she called in her perky voice. "Get your butt over here, silly!"  
Alicia Adams was the former "queen bee" before I dethroned her. She hates me, but pretends to like me because she doesn't want to be kicked out of the popular clique. Her brother is Dusty, the cellist of The Malice Patrol v. Green, as I explained earlier. They're twins, but opposites in the personality division. They were the type of twins that didn't look alike…whatever those are called. I'm not exactly a science buff either. Where Alicia has long, straight chocolate brown hair, Dusty had dishwater blond curly hair, that had recently been shaved to help with his aerodynamics in track. Where Alicia was skinny as a beanpole, Dusty was broad and muscular. They shared the same sparkling blue eyes…I think. I never really got a good look, so I'm not sure.  
Haven Tatiana scooted a little closer to Alicia when I sat down at the table. The tall dark-haired, tan-skinned beauty hated me too, and was very loyal to Alicia. Like Alicia, she didn't want to be kicked out of the group either, so she pretended to like me too. Her voice was so high you'd have thought she sucked in helium every time you looked away. When she talked, I replaced her shrill voice with the "wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa" sounds the adults make in Charlie Brown. It was much preferable to her voice, and she never really said anything worth listening to anyway.  
Will Grasen sat across from me. He was nice and ridiculously smart, so you had to wonder what a guy like that was doing in a group full of bitches. My guess was pride. Better to be in the popular clique than the nerd clique I guess, especially if you were handsome and weren't saddled with the nerd clique since birth like some acne-ridden, suspender-wearing yahoos running around here.  
Another that made the right choice between popularity and nerd-dom was Caleb Craft. He was the smartest guy in our grade, but not at all nice. He was the biggest sarcastic jerk I'd ever met, which of course was why I thought he was sexy. Mean guys are hot to me. Not to you, reader? Well, you're missing out. If you are into those guys, cool. If you're a straight guy, whoops sorry dude. If you're a gay dude, rock on!  
Anyway, next to me sat the fashion savvy Japanese dynamo¾and possibly the only one in the whole town because who the hell wants to come to Curious, Ohio anyway¾Ayoko Mayori. She's the only chick who can actually do punk and mix it with colorful Japanese couture. This girl is absolutely my hero!  
Finally, flirting up her latest poor bastard¾ahem¾boyfriend, was Miss Big Boobs herself, Justine Gabsbroker. Her dad owns a plastic surgery center, which is where her giant quintuple-Z cup boobs come from. Well, maybe not that big. Boobs that big would probably have to be dragged around in wheelbarrows. They're huge though, and all the guys in school are lined up, waiting patiently for their turn at being her boyfriend and the opportunity to get inside her shirt.  
"Hey Reni! Band discussion over here! You want me to win the case?"  
It was my boyfriend and band partner, Davie McCall, calling me. By win the case, he was talking about our band. As I explained, it's like a court case, and he's Green. I'm The Malice Patrol. I know I already told you at the beginning. I love to reiterate.  
I saluted my wannabes, then hurried over to the table containing my band, the coolest peeps around.  
Rocking on drums and violin, the two only black students in school were having a hilarious discussion about racist Principal "Bastard". I love how his name, Baxter, is close to the word bastard and he is one! Violinist Shemiah Doherty was very tall black girl, who, due to the white domination in this school, was "almost too white to be black" as she put it. Drummer Marty Gallos was a hilarious and friendly guy who loved to come up and hug you. He said he had a crush on Kayley Anne, but I don't know if he's serious or joking.  
Pianist Jade and cellist Dusty were across from Shemiah and Marty at the table, Jade flirting up Dusty as he tried to eat an apple. The two had been "madly in love", as I put it, for awhile, until they just unexpectedly split. I don't why, really. It just happened. Now Jade wants him back. And she's turning up the flirt to make it happen. Jadence, aka Jade, was a redhead, but recently she'd gotten some rockin' black streaks. It was like Halloween! She had this certain style about her. She liked to push the envelope and try the most outlandish styles, but her trademark was a tee, skinny jeans, Converse, and a bandana tied around her ankle. Awesome! Arnold, aka Dusty, was ultra-jock but mellowed out on cello and guitar. He loved to wear sleeveless shirts to show off his gigantic muscles. It grossed me out to no end.  
I sat down next to bassist Kayley Anne Collins, my best friend and sister since seventh grade who I've probably mentioned about ten times already. We got here about the same time, her from Georgia, me from Missouri. We became best friends immediately, and partly through my influence, she went from prissy prep to prissy goth. We're into a lot of the same stuff, and we share a locker whose door is filled to the brim with pictures of bands we love. She has chocolate brown, wavy hair, which she wishes could be died black, and pretty hazel eyes.  
Across from us was "Joe Cool" himself, my boyfriend and right-hand man onstage, Davie McCall. The both of us rocked out on vocals and guitar, and we were practically inseparable. He had brown hair, which was almost always cropped, and kind brown eyes which I melted into when he gave me "the look."  
"Keeping the 'wannabes' happy?" Kayley Anne asked, laughing. "And you say I'm the pushover."  
"Nah," I told her. "I'm using them for their robotic gullibility. You are a pushover."  
She blew a raspberry at me, then went to dump her tray.  
"Rehearsal after school?" Davie asked. "Talent show's next month."  
"We got plenty of time, plus we rock," I assured. "I don't really think we need rehearsal, but if you insist, love."  
He smiled at my pet name for him, then shook his head. "I just want us to be the best we can be, Reni."  
"So we're the opening for the talent show, not in it?" I verified.  
"Well, we'd be a shoo-in if we were competing," he said. "It would be a hollow victory, so yes, we're not in it. We get to perform five songs. What are our best?"  
"Definitely 'The Death of the White Rabbit'!" I told him excitedly. "I love our gloomy Alice in Wonderland take! Also 'Painting With Mustard' because of its hilarity."  
"Good ideas. Can we do 'Jimi's Back From 'Nam'? I love our tribute to the late, great Jimi Hendrix."  
"Totally. I know how you love that one."  
Kayley Anne sat back down. "What are we talking about?"  
"Well, my dear Kayley Anne," I started. "We are picking five songs to open the talent show with."  
"Decided on anything so far?" she asked.  
"Yeah, we got 'The Death of the White Rabbit', 'Painting With Mustard', and 'Jimi's Back From 'Nam'," I told her.  
She began taking notes on our tiny composition notebook covered in skulls which I got at a math competition to rub in her face.  
"How about 'What's Mine Is Mine'?" she asked.  
"I don't know…" I said, then turned to Davie. "Is it ready?"  
"It still doesn't have a second verse," he said. "We'll work on it at rehearsal."  
Jade popped into our conversation. "I really like 'Politics Is Like Santa's Workshop'."  
"That's not our best…" I said.  
"Besides," Davie added. "It doesn't have a bridge or a finished chorus."  
"What about 'Step Off, Racist!'?" Marty asked.  
"Yeah!" Shemiah agreed.  
"That one slams Principal Bastard," I noted sadly. "I love it, but it's probably not a good idea to play it."  
"Agreed," Kayley Anne agreed.  
The bell rang, signaling lunch was over.  
"Kayley Anne and I have next period together," I told Davie. "We'll consider more songs."  
"So will me, Shemiah, and Dusty," he said.  
He kissed me on the cheek, then we all headed off in separate directions.


	3. Chapter 2

2  
That afternoon I got off the bus, and hurried home. I wanted to get there before my dad got home from work. Me and my dad don't really get along; we argue frequently. He starts in on me as soon as he gets home, and I wanted to have what I need and get a note on the table before he got back.  
I rushed inside, and scribbled a note. Luckily, I was alone. I set my usual note on the table, saying I was out but not telling him where I was so he wouldn't pick me up and embarrass me in front of my band mates. I grabbed my guitar and laptop, which is used for recording and writing purposes, then hurried out the door.  
The thing about the suburban land of Curious: everyone lives within walking range of each other. The longest walk I have to someone's house is to Alicia and Dusty's, which is a ten minute walk. We have band practice at Davie's house. His house is five minutes away, and everyone meets there for every band practice because Davie lives in the middle of all of us.  
I was about to round the corner, when I felt like I was being followed. I turned, and saw a blond-haired-blue-eyed pretty boy leaning against a stop sign sending a smirk my way. I recognized him from school, but didn't really know him because he was one of the juveniles. There were six of them, and I'd never dared talked to one except when I was paired with Julie Rilen for a science project. She went to juvie for soliciting sex. Ewww!  
"Can I help you?" I asked the juvenile.  
"You're Reni, right?" he asked.  
"Yeah…" I said. "Who are you?"  
"I'm Darren," he introduced. "Darren Saunders."  
"Nice to meet you. Well I must be going."  
He rushed in front of me as I started to walk away.  
"You seem like the kind of girl who likes a good time," he said.  
"Maybe," I said slowly.  
"Meet me at the all-night gas station up north tonight at midnight," he said. "I'll show you what a good time is."  
With that, he walked away. A juvenile just asked me to have fun tonight. Should I be worried? Should I ditch? I would ditch…but the offer is kind of enticing.  
Taking the offer under consideration, I tightened my grip on my guitar and laptop, then ran the last couple minutes of my walk.

Davie's mom let me in. I'll tell you, Julia McCall is the nicest woman ever.  
"David!" she called. "Reni's here!"  
She turned to me, sweet smile on her face. "Would you like a drink or a snack?" she asked.  
"I'm good, Mrs. McCall," I said as I walked down the hall into the den which had been transformed into a music room and rehearsal space.  
The music room had instruments everywhere, from string instruments hanging on the walls, some with a broken string or two, to brass instruments laying put together in their cases, to a few drum sets in the corner, none of which were complete.  
I had been the first to arrive. Davie was sitting there tuning his favorite guitar, his black and red beauty, Madame Moulin Rouge.  
My guitar's name, if you were wondering, is Suzi Jett Rider. Jett from Joan Jett, Suzi from Joan Jett's idol, Suzi Quatro, aka the Glycerin Queen.  
"Hi Reni," he greeted. "Hi Suzi Jett."  
"We say hey," I joked, sitting down on a stool next to Davie.  
He bent over to me, and kissed me on the lips.  
I smiled at him, then began tuning my guitar.  
"Hello Malice Patrol and Green!"  
Jade, who'd said that, and Kayley Anne came in.  
"Aww!" Kayley Anne whined. "I was gonna scare Reni!"  
"You scare me just being you," I assured her.  
"Woo-hoo!" she cheered.  
"You left Marilyn here last time," Davie told Kayley Anne.  
"I know!" she said. "I was hoping you'd keep him safe! I couldn't come back and get him."  
Kayley Anne's bass Marilyn is named after Marilyn Manson, her favorite singer.  
Shemiah, Dusty, and Marty all arrived at the same time, and in no time we were arranged and ready to begin.  
I hit record on my laptop.  
"So," I said. "We have agreed to perform 'The Death of the White Rabbit', 'Painting With Mustard', 'Jimi's Back From 'Nam', 'I Love New York', and 'It's True You're A Lie' in the school talent show. Rehearsal September 3rd starts now."

Today's was a long rehearsal. By the time I got home, thankfully, my dad was in bed. It was 10:00. I would've gone to bed, but I was still debating whether or not I was going to meet Darren at the all-night gas station.  
I fixed myself a bowl of ice cream, and sat down in my chair. My chair. I turned on the TV, and decided to watch Teen Titans. Yay!  
11:00 rolled around, and I turned on South Park. I still hadn't decided if I was going to meet Darren, and my ice cream had melted because I'd been to busy in my headspace to eat it. I drank it, then washed the bowl out and put in the freezer to be used again.  
It was 11:30, and against conscious will, I decided to go. I changed into dark clothes, not knowing what to do about my bright colored hair so I just put on my monster hat, and by 11:50, I snuck out of the house.  
I was a little early to the gas station, but I spotted Darren smoking on the side. I approached him. He smirked when he saw me, flicking the cigarette somewhere.  
"I didn't think you'd come," he said. "Come with me. I need another pack of cigs and I don't have any money."  
We entered the gas station, him confidently, me nervously.  
"Take this and set a fire in the back," he said, handing me his lighter. "Tell the clerk, and I'll get the cigarettes while he's distracted."  
I nodded, and did as he told, setting fire to a bunch of magazines.  
"Fire!" I called to the clerk. "Fire! Help! Fire!"  
The clerk got the fire extinguisher and came to help me. I watched as Darren snuck behind the counter.  
"How did this happen?" the clerk asked when the flames were out.  
"I don't know," I said. "It was like…spontaneous combustion or something. Maybe this heating vent behind the shelf made the magazines so hot that they just burst into flames."  
He scratched his chin. "Maybe."  
Darren and I exited the gas station while the clerk moved the shelf.  
"Good story," Darren told me. "You got potential."  
I shrugged.  
"You up for a little vandalism?" he asked me.  
"Uh…" I stuttered. "M-maybe next time."  
He laughed. "Well we can just hang then. I can get us into a bar. I have a fake I.D. and we'll just say you're with me and you're of age."  
"Okay," I said.  
That wasn't too illegal.  
And he did get us into a bar. It was mostly because the guy guarding the door was drunk off his ass and could barely see. It was also because Darren's fake I.D. was very convincing.  
Once inside, we sat at the counter. Darren got a beer, and I just had water.  
"It must be weird for you," he said. "Hanging with a juvenile."  
"Why are you a juvenile anyway?" I asked.  
"I got a few years in juvie for stabbing a librarian," he explained. "She didn't die, but if she had, I'd be in juvie then jail for life."  
"What about the others?" I asked. "I know Julie solicited sex."  
"Yeah," he said with a laugh. "Oren Donner and Mayek McCasher both went to juvie for arson. Makenna MacDurie went to juvie for drug dealing and soliciting sex. Wally Rykrie, aka Ryker, didn't do anything. He was framed for thievery. He's actually a really good guy."  
I nodded. "Cool."

I got home at about four in the morning. It turns out hanging with Darren and doing illegal stuff was really fun, and I couldn't wait to do it again.  
It was Saturday, so I wouldn't have to wake up early. My dad was working today, so I'd be alone till 4:00. I woke up at noon to the phone ringing.  
I groggily trudged into the living room and answered the phone.  
"Hello?" I asked.  
"Hey Reni! Just wake up?"  
It was Kayley Anne.  
"Yep," I said. "What's up?"  
"Want to go to Hot Topic today?" she asked.  
"Yeah, sure. That really hot emo guy still working there?"  
"Oh yes! Plus, I heard they got new gear in today. Get your allowance and get your ass to my place!"  
"Aye aye, Cap'n Kayley Anne!"  
I hung up, and grabbed some cash. I left a note in case I wasn't back by four, then dashed off to Kayley Anne's place.

"Check it out!" she cheered, holding up a shirt. "Gir!"  
"Cool," I said, leaning against the wall with a faraway look in my eyes.  
"Reni, you love Gir and Invader Zim," she said, concerned.  
"Yeah," I said.  
"Are you okay?" she asked. "You seem a little…out of it today. Something you want to tell me?"  
"I met Darren Saunders yesterday."  
"The juvenile who stabbed a librarian?"  
"That's the one."  
"What happened?"  
"He convinced me to sneak out last night."  
"Reni!"  
"I know."  
"You didn't do anything illegal…did you?"  
"Uh…"  
"You did! Reni!"  
"Don't tell, Kayley Anne."  
"I know, but…do you realize what will happen if word gets out?"  
"I absolutely do, Kayley Anne."  
That said, I picked up the shirts I'd picked up, and went to pay for them.

"Get up, heathen! Time for church!"  
I slowly opened my eyes on Sunday morning, seeing my dad in the door dressed for church.  
"I'm good," I said groggily.  
"Get up!" he yelled again.  
"No, I'm sick," I lied, sticking my head under the pillow.  
"You're always sick!" he complained.  
"What's your point?" I asked.  
He sighed. "Fine."

Sunday was boring, so I was happy when Monday rolled around and it was time for school.  
I walked inside the school, greeted at my locker by my locker partner Kayley Anne.  
"Sup home-slice," I said.  
"You watch too much Juno," she said with a laugh.  
"I know," I said.  
She handed me my geometry book, and got hers.  
We started our walk to class. Kayley Anne was chattering about what she did on Sunday, but I was still kind of spaced out. We passed Darren, who nodded to me.  
"Earth to Reni!" Kayley Anne yelled at me.  
"What?" I asked.  
"Would you cut out the spacing?" she asked.  
"I'll try," I said.  
We walked into geometry.


	4. Chapter 3

3  
"Come on, Reni!" Darren urged me.  
Darren and I were out again on Wednesday night. He'd vandalized some lawn ornaments and a few mailboxes. He was trying to make me do something, but I couldn't.  
Then, somehow, I was holding a baseball bat and standing in someone's yard. The mailbox said Craft. Like…Caleb Craft? Oh crap.  
Sighing, I gave in. Using the metal baseball bat, I trashed the Craft's lawn ornaments and mailbox. It was so much fun that I wanted to do more! Darren and I moved on to the Davis's, the Tatiana's, the Jones's, the Fellows's, and the Goodfearer's. I couldn't get enough.  
When Darren and I reached the Gabsbroker's, we saw flashing lights.  
"Oh shit," I muttered.  
"It's the cops!" Darren cried.  
The lights were getting closer.  
"What do we do?" I asked him.  
"Run!" he said. "We're home free if we can get across the street and into the forest. Put your hood up."  
I pulled the hood of my jacket over my head, and followed Darren, sprinting haphazardly across the street.  
Darren made it to the other side. I didn't. I tripped and went down. Darren didn't notice that I fell, so I was a sitting duck.  
The flashing lights stopped, car doors opened and closed. I scrambled to my feet, keeping my head down, but someone grabbed my arm and yanked my hood off.  
I stared up into the face of a gruff, angry-looking cop.  
"You're in big trouble, kid," he snarled. "Do you know how many complaints we've got? Eight! Eight properties vandalized, some destroyed! Anything to say?"  
I shrugged.  
He put handcuffs on me and threw me into the backseat. I looked off toward the woods. I could just barely see a wide-eyed Darren Saunders watching sympathetically as I was hauled away.

Not long after, I was in juvie. For three weeks. I knew instantly that it was all over. My dad would disown me, I'd lose all my friends, Alicia would take her "queen bee" status back. I'd probably even lose The Malice Patrol v. Green! Without me, it'd just be Green!  
Atomic Fireball, my also popular, badass kitty cat, would be so disappointed in me.  
What was worse, I had to pay for all the damage I'd done! I don't have any money!  
I didn't rat out Darren. If I had, he'd probably be here longer than me because of his record. He was going to help me pay for the damages though. And if he refused, I'd blackmail him.  
I had a couple of cellmates due to the juvie hall being overcrowded. One was a seventeen-year-old thief named Jack Hollinger. The other was a twelve-year-old gun-happy arsonist named Galen O'Hara. Both were pretty cool, as long as you kept anything that can kill away from Galen.  
So this is what my life had reduced to?

I had a visitor a week later. I was relieved when it was Darren and not someone in my family.  
"How are you holding up?" he asked.  
"You left me!" I snapped when the police officers left us.  
"I thought you were still behind me!" he countered. "I didn't know you fell! You didn't rat me out, did you?"  
"No I didn't," I said. "Lucky for you."  
He let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks Reni."  
"I owe four-thousand-dollars for damages!" I snarled.  
"I got it!" he assured. "I'll pay every last cent. It's the least I could do."  
"Thanks I guess," I muttered. "My dad's going to disown me for this."  
"Listen, I told my mom what happened, and she said if you need a place, you're welcome."  
"You're mom? Kay Saunders? Didn't she serve jail time?"  
"Yeah. That's how she understands what's going on."  
"That's great."  
"So just remember that."  
"I will. Thanks so much Darren."  
"Visiting hours are over!" the police officer barked.  
"Good luck," Darren told me just before he left.

When the three weeks were up, I was transported home.  
Home wasn't home when I got there.  
My dad shot me a glare when I entered.  
"Welcome home, you little criminal," he grumbled.  
"Hi Dad," I said meekly.  
"I sure as hell hope you got somewhere to go!" he yelled. "Because I want you out! Now!"  
I sighed, and went to my room. I packed what I needed in a few bags, then reappeared in the living room, followed by the frazzled Atomic Fireball. AF hated yelling.  
"Where am I supposed to go?" I asked.  
"I don't know," he said, turning on the TV. "You're grandmother sure isn't going to take you in. We have a family image you know. I doubt if you'll find your mother. I don't know what you're going to do, and I don't care. Get out."  
Taking my picture off the wall, I threw the frame across the room, then left. I only had one place to go…Darren's.  
It took fifteen minutes to walk to Darren's. I carried Atomic Fireball on my shoulder. He hated walking. Darren lived all the way across town. When I got there, knocked on the door. A wasted-looking woman answered.  
"Yeah?" she asked, inhaling a cigarette.  
"I'm Reni," I told her.  
"Oh yeah!" she realized. "You're the girl who took the fall for my boy's crime. Come on in, sweetheart. You're always welcome."  
She ushered me inside. The house smelled distinctly of cigarettes, and it looked as if it hadn't been cleaned since they moved in. Carpets that were once white, were green, walls sticky with mold. Trash and dead animals were running rampant all around. Atomic Fireball's fur puffed out, like it did when he was annoyed. He didn't see this as a fit home for him, and was probably cursing me in his cat brain.  
Remind me to get Kayley Anne in here.  
"Darren!" she called. "Reni's here! Show her where she'll be sleepin' I gotta go to work."  
"Thanks Mrs. Saunders," I told her.  
"You're livin' here now, sweetheart," she said sweetly. "Call me Kay."  
That said, she took her coat and left, saying, "I'll be back in the mornin'! Fix up a litter box for your cat there."  
"Hey Reni," Darren said, waltzing in with a cigarette between his lips. Like mother like son. "Nice cat."  
Atomic Fireball always recognizes a compliment. Darren would be on his good side for sure.  
"Hey Darren," I said, looking around. "His name is Atomic Fireball."  
"That totally sounds like something you'd name a cat," he said with a laugh. "Disgusting home, right? Don't worry about it, I cleaned up the guest room."  
"You mind if I call Kayley Anne sometime?" I asked. "She loves to clean, and this place could really use it."  
"Yeah, that'd be great," he said. "I just hope she's still your friend after all this."  
"It's Kayley Anne!" I assured him. "She'll be my best friend no matter what…I hope."  
"Come on," he said, gesturing me forward. "Your room's this way."  
He showed me to a room that was much cleaner than the rest of the house. The carpets had been bleached, and the room smelled like flowers. The wall had been repainted to a light purple. The bed matched the paint, a quilt with various shades of purple decorating it. AF finally hopped off my shoulder at the sight of a clean room. I better put all his supplies in here because until the house is clean, he won't exit this room.  
"Wow!" I said. "This is great! You did this?"  
"You deserve it," he said.  
I pulled him to me, and hugged him. "Thank you so much!"  
"Yeah no problem," he said, hugging me back.  
After a bit, we parted, then he said, "Hungry? I'll order pizza. We don't really cook here."  
"Yeah, sure," I said. "So it's just you and your mom?"  
"Yep," he said, digging out his cell phone. "Dad's in Afghanistan. He used to do all the cooking. He's a great cook. I can't wait for him to come back…if at all."  
"Why do you say that?" I asked.  
"He fights from the air," Darren explained sadly. "One hit, that's all it takes."  
I said nothing. He dialed his phone, and left the room. I put my bags on the bed, and started unpacking them. AF hopped up on the bed, and waited patiently for me to unpack my bag so he could crawl inside it and take a nap.  
Darren reappeared in the doorway, and asked, "So you ready to go back to school tomorrow?"  
"Tomorrow?" I asked, shocked.  
"You have to face these things sooner or later," he told me. "You wouldn't have had to worry about it yet if it were the weekend, but it's only Thursday. If you can get through Friday, you're home-free."  
I shrugged.  
"Well, if you're cool with me, you'll probably fit in with my friends," he assured me. "Oren will be fine with you. He'll think it's cool that you didn't rat me out. Mayek will probably seem mean, but he just isn't quick to trust. If you talk about things he likes¾like Halo and guns¾he'll probably warm up to you. Julie and Makenna will be happy to have another girl in the group, and Ryker is a really nice guy. You'll be fine."  
"Okay, cool," I said.  
"So?" he asked.  
"Fine, I'll go," I surrendered. "But not willingly."  
"Great!"


	5. Chapter 4

4  
The next day, Darren and I walked to school. I hesitated at the doors.  
"You okay?" he asked me.  
I shrugged.  
"Reni?" someone asked.  
I turned, and Kayley Anne wrapped me in a hug.  
"How are you?" she asked. "I heard you went to juvie!" She turned to Darren. "This is all your fault!"  
"He's compensating for it," I told Kayley Anne. "So has word gotten around?"  
"Like it's nobody's business," she said sadly. "There's gonna be sparks today."  
"Crap," I hissed.  
"I'll be by your side," she assured me. "I bet Darren and his friends will be too."  
"Thanks," I said.  
Kayley Anne looped her arm around mine. Following her lead, Darren took my other arm.  
"Ready?" they asked.  
"No," I muttered.

As Kayley Anne, Darren, and I entered the building, all eyes were on me. I got looks mostly of scorn, but a few of sympathy. All I knew was that they were all silently judging me.  
Darren departed, leaving us for his locker, and Kayley Anne and I tried to get to our locker undetected.  
"Hey Reni!"  
We turned slowly, meeting the smug faces of Alicia and Haven. Both once again wore Aeropostale and Hollister, and had those retarded feathers in their hair. They also wore cowboy boots, even though they aren't even country, and think they are just because they listen to Taylor Swift. Yuck.  
"As if it weren't obvious, I'm back in power, criminal," Alicia said.  
With a shrill, annoying laugh from Haven, the bitchy pair strutted away.  
"There goes my social status," I muttered.  
"Oh please," Kayley Anne laughed. "You're much better off. The populars were a bit upside-down in your rule, anyway."  
I laughed with her. "You're right."  
When we got to our locker, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around. It was Davie. And he wouldn't meet my eyes.  
"Band meeting," he muttered.

The band gathered in the band room, Kayley Anne and I on one side of the room, the rest of the band on the other.  
"We've decided that you'll have to be kicked out of the band, Reni," Davie said sadly.  
"What!" I snapped. "It's my band!"  
"We've agreed to give you the name," he said. "It wasn't very good anyway."  
I sneered.  
"If you kick her out, I'm leaving too!" Kayley Anne argued.  
"Fine," Davie said. "By the way, Reni, we're over. Get out. This is our band practice."  
"Good luck!" I yelled. "Good luck finding a new singer! You can't sing worth a shit anyway!"  
Kayley Anne and I got our instruments and stormed out.  
"Now what?" she asked as we walked back to our locker. "Start a new band?"  
"With what musicians?" I asked.  
She shrugged.  
"This sucks," I grumbled.

Lunch. Once a place I ruled over. It didn't take long for me to realize that I'd once had it great. Now I was a hated outcast.  
Where was I going to sit now?  
"Reni! Kayley Anne!"  
Kayley Anne and I turned to see Darren calling for us, and the girl next to Darren scooting over a couple spaces. We approached, and sat down, Kayley Anne nervously.  
"Hey Reni!" a skinny guy with blond hair¾like Darren but he looks tougher¾greeted me. "I'm Oren. It's great that you didn't rat Darren out when you got arrested." He gestured to the skinny guy next to him with brown eyes, freckles, and curly black hair. "That's Mayek. He'll hate you till he warms up to you…which will most likely be never."  
"Shut up, Oren," Mayek grumbled. "She seems cool to me."  
"Hey, I know you!" tall, blond Julie said across from me. "You were my lab partner. I'm really glad there's two more girls here. Me and Makenna were lonely."  
"Yeah," the wavy-haired brunette agreed. "I'm Makenna. If you come out at night with me sometime, I know how to vandalize and not get caught."  
"I know you're throwing a jab at me," Darren growled.  
"Well it's your fault she got caught!" Makenna snapped at him. "You were never sneaky!"  
"Anyway!" I interrupted. "I thought you had another guy in your group."  
"Ryker's a junior," Darren explained. "I bet Kayley Anne would like him. He's a really nice guy."  
Kayley Anne shrugged, and said, "We'll see."  
"So did you already lose your band?" Oren asked.  
"Yeah," I said sadly. "They booted Kayley Anne too."  
"I chose to go," Kayley Anne contradicted. "I wasn't being in a band without Reni."  
"Thanks dude," I told her.  
"Well if you're ever looking for another band, we got some talent here," Oren assured. "I play drums, Darren sings, and Mayek can play guitar and sing."  
"I can't sing," Mayek argued.  
"Yes you can," Oren told him, then referred to me. "He just doesn't know it."  
Mayek rolled his eyes.  
"Well, I might be looking for a band…" I pondered. "…but I dunno."  
"Come on," Darren pleaded. "We have singers, guitar players, Kayley Anne plays bass, and Oren plays drums. We have the perfect layout for a band!"  
"You don't need me," I said. "Just take Kayley Anne."  
"No way!" everyone argued.  
"Neither me nor Mayek can sing as good as you, Reni!" Darren added.  
"I can't even play guitar that good," Mayek muttered.  
"Sorry guys," I mumbled.

When the last class got out, Kayley Anne and I were at our locker when Shemiah and Marty came up to us. We regarded them with little interest, refusing to even look at them.  
"Listen," Shemiah started. "I'm sorry about recent events, and I wish Davie hadn't reacted that way. Just because you went to juvie, it doesn't mean you're different."  
I looked at Shemiah, an eyebrow cocked. "Thank you," I said.  
"We quit the band," Marty finished. "Davie replaced you with Kylie Evinglass, who can sing and play bass, thus replacing both of you with one person. Kylie took over the whole band: the name, the sound. Since she's Davie's girlfriend now, he doesn't care."  
"Dusty and Jade quit the band too," Shemiah added.  
"But that means the only two left are Davie and Kylie," I realized.  
"Yep," Marty confirmed. "The two are becoming a duet outfit, writing songs to openly slander your name, Reni."  
"What!" Kayley Anne and I both yelled in shock.  
Jade and Dusty appeared then, nodding to Shemiah and Marty.  
"We want to help you," Jade said. "We've seen the error of our ways."  
I stood there for a minute, contemplating.  
I reached a decision. "Band meeting. Go to the football bleachers. I'll get the juveniles, and meet you there."


	6. Chapter 5

_here's a long chap for y'all lol_

5  
The musicians and the juveniles, intertwined in one place. It was a beautiful sight.  
We didn't start immediately. I wanted the musicians and juveniles to get to know one another first. Soon enough, despite the judgments they'd once placed upon each other, despite their social differences, they mingled.  
Kayley Anne and Ryker sat slightly away from everyone, flirting and talking. I'd never seen the girl flirt so much, and thankfully he was returning the favor.  
Marty and Dusty had warmed up to Darren, Oren, and Mayek. Mayek didn't talk much, but he was trying. It turned out Dusty and Darren had a lot in common. They'd be best friends in no time.  
Julie and Makenna had were chatting with Shemiah and Jade. The girls were gleefully telling stories and laughing.  
Eventually, I joined in, and everyone gathered in one big group.  
After I felt everyone had properly grown accustomed to each other, I started the meeting.  
"Welcome musicians!" I called out. "Let's go over instruments. Firstly, we have two drummers here: Marty and Oren. We can make this work right? Two drummers?"  
"Well," Kayley Anne answered. "If we're going to have this many people in the band, we might need an extra heartbeat."  
"True," I agreed. "Thankfully, we have Shemiah and Dusty, who play violin and cello. I like having a string section. It gives a band…a certain brand of class. We also have our keyboardist Jade and bassist Kayley Anne, which is a bonus. We have three guitars here, including me. Any ideas here?"  
Ryker cleared his throat, and said, "Well, one of the guitars could be lead, and the other two could be rhythm. Plus, one of the rhythms could double as lead and boost riffs and solos."  
"I like that," Kayley Anne said.  
"Me too," I agreed. "That's a great idea. Any objections?"  
"Nope," everyone said.  
"Great," I said. "Lastly, singers. We have six here that can. I want to hear what you can do, and I'll place you accordingly. First, I want to place the musicians."  
I lead the instrument players to the aisle between the bleachers. I lead them to certain spots, creating a simulation of our band setup. I had each of them play on instruments I'd brought in from the band room¾with help from Oren and Dusty¾and organized accordingly.  
Oren's drumming style was completely different from Marty's. Where Marty was smooth and gentle, having a smooth jazz feel about him, Oren had a violent nature, relentlessly pounding the drums with brute force. I decided that they would play off of each other, fusing their styles to make something new. I put Marty and Oren in place, putting them back-to-back to they could hear each other clearly.  
Next, I put Shemiah, Dusty, Kayley Anne, and Mayek on Marty's side, since these instruments would be a little harder to hear and Marty played quieter than Oren. I know guitars aren't the quietest instruments, but I wanted Ryker and Mayek, the rhythm guitarists, to be on opposite sides so we could get a full sound out. The violin, the strongest of the string instruments, would be put in the middle. Kayley Anne and Mayek would be put out front so they could be highlighted, but still a little behind me so as not to drown out my lead vocals. Dusty was put closest to the dual drummers so he could play against the two.  
Then I dealt with Jade and Ryker. Because Jade played piano with a loud, rocking style, she was put near Oren, but not close enough to be drowned out. Ryker and Mayek were on either side of me, able to work with my guitar since they would be my rhythms.  
That left a big gap between Jade and Ryker, where the other singers would go. We all agreed that I would be lead, and some agreed to be background. All were good singers¾especially Darren and Mayek¾but everyone, except Darren, picked to be a background singer right away. I was, however, able to coax Mayek to take harmony parts with my vocals, along with Makenna's harmony because of her high soprano. Darren agreed to duet parts, which put him next to me, and Julie and Jade, both altos, would be his harmony.  
Simulation in place, I told everyone to remember their spots, then move the instruments out onto the football so we could practice with more space.  
About ten minutes later, when everyone was in place, I had everyone play test sounds so I could deliberate. I got started with the drummers and Dusty, teaching them to play against one another. They got the hang of it fast, except for Oren, who just wanted to bash wildly. We got him in line eventually, bringing control to chaos. Next I had Shemiah and Kayley Anne play against Dusty. It blended smoothly, but I decided to put Dusty in the middle of Shemiah and Kayley Anne instead, put the violinist next Marty's smooth drumming. She wasn't drowned out, thankfully. Dusty still had to play against the drums, even though not as close to them.  
I moved to Jade, who I had listen and play accordingly to Shemiah. She'd never done it before, but I figured it would be a good option for such a layout.  
Once I had Ryker and Mayek going with riffs, I joined, then moved to the singers, first testing mine and Darren's harmony. My mezzo-soprano to soprano range worked nicely with Darren's baritone, as I hoped it would, then moved on to the background singers, adding them in. The main problem with the singing was volume. Makenna sang too loud, whereas Julie and Mayek didn't sing near loud enough. That, however, was easily fixed. Once everyone was playing, I got a feel for the sound. The layout was perfect. Our genre of music, however, would be a work in progress.  
I had everyone submit a band name, then adjourned the band meeting. Darren and I walked home, and I retired to the guest room to get started on a song to suit our instrument range for us to practice on. I wanted this band to beat out Davie, and it would take a lot of work.

"Hello?" Kayley Anne answered the phone.  
"Hey Kayley Anne," I said. "It's Reni."  
"Oh hey!" she greeted.  
"Can you get over to Darren's?" I asked. "There's a major cleaning emergency to be done here."  
"Cleaning?" she squeaked.  
"Your dream come true."  
"I'll be right over!"  
I couldn't think of a better day than today. It was Saturday, so no school, and Kay had to take Darren to see his grandma in the hospital. What a surprise to come home to: a clean house!  
Kayley Anne got to the house in about five minutes, panting and bounding around with excitement. She entered, and gasped.  
"It's…so dirty!" she whined. "I think I'm a little in over my head."  
"I understand if you want to leave," I said solemnly.  
"Are you kidding?" she said with a laugh. "This…will be a challenge."  
"Pause for emphasis between the 'this' and the 'will'?" I asked.  
"Got a problem?" she countered.  
"As long as you clean, nope."

Kayley Anne is an absolute…MIRACLE WORKER! The crazy walking OCD actually cleaned the ENTIRE house. She even bleached the carpets! With my help, we actually cleaned the entire house in one day.  
Atomic Fireball, at last, exited my room and walked around the house. Kayley Anne loves AF, and AF loves her. She can even get AF into a bath! I can't even do that!  
We got finished when the Saunders' got home. Darren gasped, and Kay thought she was in the wrong house. The two hugged Kayley Anne, and Kay even gave her fifty dollars! For my help, Kay gave me twenty. Both of us refused to take her money, but she insisted.  
Kayley Anne went home, and I cooked up my special chili for Kay and Darren. When I finished, we gleefully ate in front of the TV while watching Easy A.  
"I can't thank you enough," Kay told me. "All you've done for us. I cannot believe your father would just kick you out. You're a blessing."  
"Thank you," I said.

"What are you doing?" Darren asked, looking over my shoulder at my work.  
"I'm looking over the band names that the gang submitted," I explained.  
I sat at the dining room table fiddling away with my band project. Atomic Fireball was perched on my shoulder, his favorite place to be when I was working on something. I think he knows how to read and likes to snoop on what I'm doing.  
Kay had left for work half an hour earlier, leaving Darren and me alone.  
"Are they ridiculous?" Darren joked.  
"You tell me. Oren came up with Zombie Face."  
Darren laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like him. Okay, how about this? Name off all the band names, and we'll go from there."  
"Let's see…Kayley Anne likes Death By Manicure, but that's really just a long-running joke between us. Jade put Blood Rivals. Shemiah put The Pretty Deadlys. Dusty put Scars. Marty put Party Town, which sounds like a disco outfit." That made Darren laugh, then I continued. "I told you what Oren put. Mayek put Offspring of the Unstable. Julie put Your Lies, My Eyes, Our Ties. Makenna put In Death We Are Triumphant. Ryker put The Switchblades."  
"Okay," Darren said once I finished. "I really dig The Pretty Deadlys, Offspring of the Unstable, Your Lies, My Eyes, Our Ties, and In Death We Are Triumphant."  
"Me too," I agreed. "Wait…I just realized something!"  
"What?" he asked.  
"You didn't put a suggestion down!"  
"Neither did you!"  
I shrugged.  
He thought for a second, then said, "Okay, how about this? We write our idea down on a piece of paper, not letting each other see, then, on the count of three, we'll show each other. Agreed?"  
"Yeah, sounds good," I said.  
With that we got writing and thinking.  
After a short while, both of us had our names written down, and on the count of three, our ideas were revealed.  
"Anarchy's Angel?" Darren asked when he read mine.  
"Reject Song?" I asked when I read his.  
"I like it," we said in unison.  
"Great," Darren said. "So we have six great band names on the table. Now what?"  
"I don't know," I mumbled. "How about we get it down to two, and have the band deliberate it on Monday?"  
"How do we get it down to two?" he asked.  
"Put the names on scraps of paper, put them in a hat, and draw, I guess."

A few minutes later, a hat was found. We put the names inside, and shook them up to mix them.  
One by one, we drew.  
On three, we did the same as before: we showed each other the names.

On Monday, during lunch, we rallied the band outside for a band meeting.  
"So Darren and I got it down to two names," I explained. "You guys will have to vote between the two by show of hands."  
"The two names decided on will be…" he paused for dramatic effect. "In Death We Are Triumphant and Reject Song."  
"Show of hands for Reject Song," I said.  
Everyone except Julie, Mayek, and Makenna¾she'd picked the name after all¾raised their hands.  
"Majority rules!" Darren said. "Reject Song it is."  
Everyone applauded, even the ones who hadn't raised their hands. They were good sports.  
"Meeting adjourned!" I said. "Let's go eat!"  
Everyone cheered, and we raced back to the school.

"Know what we need?" Julie asked while we were eating lunch. "Masks or something. If everyone knew the juveniles were in a band, they'd boo us off the stage before we even started playing."  
"You might be onto something," Oren said.  
"But maybe it could just be our thing, you know?" I suggested. "If people think we're scared of them, they'll take advantage of that and heckle us. We can just make a statement while still hiding."  
"A vintage look?" Kayley Anne offered, smiling slyly at me.  
"Hells yeah!" I cheered.  
"I don't like vintage," Darren said.  
"We can just each have a unique look," I assured him.  
"But we still have to kinda go together or our looks will just be stupid," Shemiah said.  
Everyone agreed, and the plan was set into motion.

We went to a thrift store after school, and looked for a signature look for the band. In the end, we'd agreed on aviator sunglasses, different color wigs, and black leather and studded outfits. The leather and studs came from how one of my favorite bands, Black Veil Brides, liked to dress. Kayley Anne and I recommended it.  
Everyone got creative when we picked out wigs. We went back to Darren's house, and worked on the designs of our wigs.  
I didn't do much with my bright blond wig. I just layered it and fixed it to flop all to one side. The wig was really long, the length ending at my hip. When I layered it, I kept the bottom layer full-length, then braided it and put it over my shoulder so the shiny yellow braid cascaded down my torso.  
Darren's wig was black and short, except for the long bangs that covered one side of his face and was shortened a little all the way to his ear when they abruptly stopped. I was surprised when he kept the bangs as they were.  
Kayley Anne, of course, got a long straight black wig. I helped her put red and purple streaks in it, and layer it. It was her absolute dream come true.  
I cracked up when I saw that Shemiah and Marty had both made their wigs into afros; Shemiah's hot pink, Marty's lime green.  
Jade's wig was completely white and made into a messy pixie cut that stuck out all over the place.  
Dusty had a dark red Mohawk, which I had picked out for him. It was so him!  
I knew what Oren would get: something wild! And he did. He got a long purple wig, then fixed the long hair up to spike out all over the place. The spikes came out about a foot off his head. It would be a miracle if Marty didn't get stabbed by them onstage.  
Julie and Makenna had matching lavender wigs, both styled into high ponytails. They wanted to be "twinees."  
Mayek cut his black wig into a Green Day's " " from the "Jesus of Suburbia" music video, and with his sunglasses and tall-skinniness, you couldn't tell them apart.  
Ryker got a long dark green wig. The hair had a certain Kurt Cobain style so that it always covered his face when unattended to.  
That done with, everyone started pestering me about the song I was working on. Of course, I wasn't even half finished. Writing music, instruments parts and lyrics and the whole shebang, is really hard. Plus, I was still researching violin and cello. I can play every instrument in our band and I know all the notes, but when it comes to violin and cello, I'm completely clueless.  
The band went home an hour before Kay left for work. Kay was happy to see Oren, Mayek, Julie, Makenna, and Ryker, but she didn't know any of the rest of the band besides her son, me, and her cleaning hero Kayley Anne. After intros, she helped us on our wigs, then called out for pizza. After that, every left, and Kay hopped into the shower to clean up before work¾she'd told me her boss didn't like it when she came into the factory smelling like cigarette smoke.  
Darren and I just watched TV for the rest of the evening.

Darren and I were in my room. He was helping me hang posters and make the room my own.  
"Me and my mom are really glad you're living here," he said at random.  
"I'm really thankful you two are letting me stay here," I said.  
"I lied about something," he mumbled.  
I looked at him. "What?"  
"This isn't really a guest room," he said sadly. "It used to be a nursery."  
My eyebrows shot up. "Nursery?"  
"Yeah," he continued. "When I was eleven, my mom was expecting¾eight months at this point¾a daughter, my new little sister. My mom had everything planned. The baby's room was pink with fluffy white bunnies painted on the wall. Mom even decided her daughter would go to ballet when she was old enough, even though she hadn't even had the child. She also had a name decided on: Elizabeth Diana. Then, out of nowhere, her work was attacked. A crazed man injured and killed many workers. My mom tried to get away, but he stabbed her in the stomach. She lived, but Elizabeth died. My mom fell into a depression. She stopped cleaning the house, stopped trying to learn how to cook, and started smoking.  
He sighed, then went on. "She was quick to let you in, especially since she knew you were a girl. The promise of a daughter had been taken from her, but she saw you as a second chance. I haven't seen her smoke one cigarette since you got here, and because she's been so happy, I've stopped too. Hell, she even took me to the doctor. She hadn't done that since I was eleven. She's even been keeping up with regular cleaning."  
"I'm really happy I could mean that much to her," I said.  
He grinned. "Just between you and me, she wants me to knock you up so she can have a second chance at raising a baby. I heard her on the phone telling my aunt Clarissa about it."  
We both laughed. We were just friends. There was no way he'd knock me up.  
"Yeah, I know you don't like me that way," he said. "Actually, I've seen the way you look at Mayek." He waggled his eyebrows.  
"What?" I asked, shocked.  
He nudged me with his elbow. "You totally like Mayek. I know you do."  
"Shut up! I do not!"  
"You're not a very good liar."  
"I'm not a very good liar? You should see the things I got away with before I went to juvie. I actually got kicked out of my school in Missouri, but I convinced my dad I was framed so I got off scot-free."  
"How did you get kicked out?"  
"I set off fireworks during a pep rally and injured many cheerleaders and football players."  
"Was it an accident or on purpose?"  
"The fireworks: on purpose. I definitely meant to cause a commotion. The injuries: an accident. I just wanted to scare people. I didn't want to hurt them."  
"Let's go back to Mayek. How do we get him to like you? He doesn't really have girlfriends often because of trust issues, especially after what happened with his last girlfriend Halton. She really liked Oren."  
"Okay, I really do not have a crush on Mayek. I admire the guy, sure, but I really don't have a crush on him."  
He shrugged, deciding I was telling the truth. "Then who do you like?"  
"Why must you be nosy?"  
"I'm not being nosy."  
"Aren't you?"  
"Alright, I'm sorry. We'll drop it."  
"Thank you."  
"For now…"  
I rolled my eyes.  
He left me alone in my room.  
I sat on the bed, thinking. Did I like someone? I hadn't really thought about anything but my new band and revenge after Davie dumped me and kicked me out of the band. I definitely didn't like Davie anymore. I decided he was a major a-hole. Maybe I didn't like anyone right now.  
Although, not liking anyone has never been my dynamic. I've always been a little boy crazy.

The next day at school was an off day for me. We got a sudden huge writing project in my advanced language class, and I had to write a huge story with a partner. Now, if I could pick someone to do that with, it would definitely be Kayley Anne. She wrote a book. Did you know that? I wrote a book too, but it didn't get published. I didn't have enough money.  
Anyway, my partner was selected for me. Know who I got? Caleb Craft! Whhhyyyyyyyyyy!?  
And just to make matters worse, he knows I vandalized his family's property, and even when not provoked, he can be quite the frigid bitch.  
We got started on the project that day. A scowl on his face, he trudged over to my seat, and pulled up a chair.  
"Great," he muttered. "I get to work with the girl who vandalized my house!"  
"Go complain to Ferndale," I told him, gesturing toward our fat, smelly English teacher Mr. Ferndale. "I don't want to hear it."  
He sighed. "Alright, listen," he decided. "If we're going to work on this project together, we need to do so without the possibility of homicide. I'd like to issue a truce. In this truce, I'll be nice to you, and you'll be nice to me. Fair?"  
"So I can't use any sarcasm?" I asked.  
"Well of course we'll use sarcasm," he said. "I'm pretty sure you and I have the same speech patterns, meaning we talk in sarcasm and bitterness in the place of English."  
I laughed. "So true."  
"Should we work on this at your house after school?" he asked.  
"As long as you're okay with being at Darren Sanders's house," I said. "I'm living with him and his mom now."  
"Yeah that's fine," he said. "See you then."  
The bell rang, and I met up with Kayley Anne on the way to our locker.  
"You got Caleb as a partner," she observed. "That sucks ass."  
"We've agreed on a truce," I said.  
"That's good," she said. "Are you bringing him over to Darren's to work?"  
"Yeah," I said. "Why?"  
"Uh oh. Darren's going to get jealous."  
"Why would you say that?"  
"I think he likes you."  
"No he doesn't."  
"Uh huh."  
"Kayley Anne."  
"Just be careful, okay? Jealous guys are bad news."  
"Yeah, yeah."  
"I know that's a shut-up-I'll-do-what-I-want 'yeah, yeah.' You'll learn, Reni."


End file.
